A member of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) lifts fingerprints from the glass door of Western Union in Guadalupe after a robbery last Thursday.
(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
The two men who robbed a Western Union outlet Thursday in barangay Guadalupe are not local hoodlums but members of a robbery group from Mindanao, according to Senior Supt. Noli Romana, Cebu city police chief.
A witness identified one suspect from file photos of robbers presented in an emergency conference by Chief Insp. Aileen Recla, chief of the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB).
“We have identified the robbers and already know their background,” Romana told reporters.
Romana refused to reveal more about the robbers so as not to jeopardize follow up police operations.
During last Thursday’s heist, the Western Union branch in barangay Guadalupe lost P30,200 and a cellular phone to the robbers.
The robbery happened just three hours after the Guadalupe Police inspected the establishment.
Most of the money remittance outlet’s employees were out for lunch when the robbers struck.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama was not pleased and directed Romana to “double their time and bring back whoever is involved.”
The mayor said this would be a “very great challenge” for the police to apprehend the robbers involved considering that just last Wednesday, the city turned over 14 new patrol cars to the police department.
“I’m challenging them to go after (the robbers) because I’m not happy. They have to take their job seriously,” the mayor added.
City Hall is checking whether the robbed Western Union branch was among those who were sent notices requiring them to put up security measures like closed-circuit television (cctv) cameras and employ security guards.
Last Month, close to 20 LBC branches located outside malls within Cebu City were ordered by the legal office to put up adequate security measures or they would be closed down. The order came after a series of robbery incidents involving the forwarding firm.
This was heeded by the LBC’s management which immediately hired security guards for their branches.
“I still have to receive a report from our inspection team who had to check the branch’s business permit. It’s possible that the business name of Western Union is different,” said Juanita Monina Paires, head of the CTO’s tax mapping division.
Related Story:
Western Union loses P40K to robbers